Short answer. A sofa has to pass two tests: the way in (front door, hall, turns, stairs or lift) and the room itself (floor space, walkways, doors that swing). For the way in, measure the narrowest opening and compare it with the sofa's depth, height and diagonal depth. For the room, mark the sofa's footprint on the floor or place the real model at its true size in a picture or 3D plan of your room. Do both before you pay, not on delivery day.
Will it fit through the door?Standard door width by countrySee furniture in your room
What to measure
- The sofa: width arm to arm, depth with the cushions, height to the top of the back, the diagonal depth (below) and what comes off: legs, cushions, sometimes the arms or the back.
- The route: each door's clear opening with the door fully open (not the door itself), the hall's width where the sofa must turn, the stairs' width and headroom, and the lift's inside and its door.
Keep one unit: 1 inch is 2.54 cm.
Typical sizes to compare against
| What | Typical size | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| UK internal door | Door 76.2 cm (30 in) wide; clear opening often about 70 cm (27.5 in) | The open door, stops and hinges take their share |
| UK front door | Door about 84 cm (33 in) wide | Porches and a second inner door |
| US interior door | 30 to 32 in (76 to 81 cm) | Older homes are often narrower |
| Sofa depth | 85 to 100 cm (33 to 39 in) | Deep, lounging sofas go past 100 cm |
| Sofa height | 75 to 90 cm (30 to 35 in) | High backs and headrests |
| Three-seat width | 200 to 230 cm (79 to 91 in) | Corner and chaise sofas are longer still |
The diagonal depth
If both the depth and the height are bigger than the opening, measure the diagonal: hold a straight edge from the top of the back to the front of the arm, then measure from that line to the back bottom corner. If the diagonal depth is less than the opening, the sofa can usually be tilted through. Add 2 to 3 cm (about 1 in) for fingers and blankets; taking the door off its hinges gains a few more.
The room test
- Walkways: about 90 cm (36 in) for the main way through a room, 60 cm (24 in) for a passage you use less.
- Coffee table: 40 to 45 cm (16 to 18 in) from the sofa's front.
- Door swings, radiators, sockets and low sills: a sofa in a door's arc means a door that never opens fully.
Mark the sofa's outline on the floor with masking tape and live with it for a day, or see the real sofa in the room.
Try the real sofa before you buy
In Flatwalk you can stand the sofa on your floor at its true size through the phone's camera, place it in a photo of the room, or put it in a 3D plan of the whole flat and walk past it at eye level, with its price and a link to the shop. In the 3D flat a tape measure reads any doorway or hall. The app does not test the route through your doors for you, and the checker above is rough, so measure the real doors with a tape.
Common mistakes
- Measuring the door, not the opening. The open door itself takes several centimetres.
- Forgetting the outside: the front gate, the porch, a narrow stair to a top-floor flat.
- Ignoring the lift's door. The car may be big enough while its door is not.
- Measuring the frame only. Cushions add depth and height.
What Flatwalk does that older planners skip
Lights
Add ceiling lights, lamps and LED strips and see the new sofa in the evening, not only by day.
Your flat in its city
Give the address and the street and buildings around you appear in 3D where the map has them.
Sun for your address
See where the sun falls by date and hour, before a pale fabric sits in it all summer.
One piece, in your own room
Through the live camera or in a photo of the room, stand the sofa on your own floor at its true size before you buy.
Detail
Doors, radiators, kitchens, wardrobes and bathrooms built piece by piece, so the sofa meets what is really there.
Made for a thumb
Tap the sofa and its choices appear: move it, turn it, replace it with another.
Swipe for more. Every picture is the app itself.
One flat, free
Most people plan one home. For that, Flatwalk costs nothing: no trial clock and no card. Drawing your flat, furniture at its true size, the tape measure, lights, sun and walking are all part of it, and each AI tool gives one free try. A membership is for people who want more flats or more AI.
Questions people ask
How do I know if a sofa will fit through my door? Measure the door's clear opening with the door fully open. If the sofa's depth or height is smaller, it goes through on its back or side; if not, compare the diagonal depth with the opening.
What is a sofa's diagonal depth? The distance from the back bottom corner to a straight line from the top of the back to the front of the arm. It tells you whether the sofa can be tilted through a door.
How much space should I leave around a sofa? About 90 cm (36 in) for a main walkway, and about 40 to 45 cm (16 to 18 in) between the sofa and a coffee table.
Can an app tell me if a sofa fits in my room? It can show the real sofa at its true size in your room, in a photo of it or in a plan, which answers the room question. The way in still needs a tape measure at your doors.
Flatwalk lets you stand a real sofa in your own room, in a photo of it or in a 3D plan of your flat, at its true size, free for one flat. It is launching on Google Play; join the waiting list at flatwalk.app.
Join the waiting list